Mr HAWKE (11:51 AM)
—In relation to those comments, $114 billion, or in that order, is what we see in the federal budget, and whether it is specifically all of the minister’s expenditure is not really my concern. I asked for a general reflection on the expenditure and the growth of that expenditure over time. However, in relation to Centrelink, which I understand is in the minister’s portfolio, can the minister advise whether he has a view on the ongoing service of ministerial liaison officers, who were placed within Centrelink and who were very effective under previous governments in providing timely advice to members of parliament, like me, and to our constituencies? Will that program be extended in future budgets?